Working in conjunction with Council, the Group has developed a set of indicators to act as a 'Compass' for the community to see where it is at, and where it is going. To help it decide where it wants to be, and if it is actually heading in that direction? The Compass is a tool to help us find our way forward.

Cardinia has diverse and disparate landscapes, communities and ecosystems; each with their own character, milieu, image, niche and place in our society. From the Western Port (link to pictures and general statistics: population, businesses, wildlife identity ... as light-up on map) coast through the rural farms and agricultural plains of Lang Lang and Koo Wee Rup to the expanding urban metropolis of Pakenham and Officer and the forested nooks and hills of the Dandenong Ranges – Gembrook, Cockatoo, Emerald. Each is evolving and changing over time, either for better or worse.

But do we know how it is changing and where we are heading? Do we care? Well we believe we should.

This is the area we have chosen to live in, the place we call home. So what is it about Cardinia that attracts us? What characteristics define our neck of the woods? What is it like to live here? And what do we want it to be like in the future?